The macaroon,
a well-known cookie made from ground nuts
and coconut, that is also often seen in
Jewish households during Passover as it is
leavened with egg whites and therefore meets
the dietary restrictions of the holiday.

Italian Jews passed on the recipe for this
flourless cookie to the Ashkenazi, who made
it a staple of both Passover and their
everyday life.

Almond macaroons (sometimes referred to as "macarons")
can be traced back to 1792, in an Italian
monastery. The name comes from the Italian
word for paste, maccarone, which refers to
almond paste. (Macaroni means flour paste.)
Later, two Carmelite nuns, hiding in the
town of Nancy during the French Revolution,
baked and sold macaroons to cover their
expenses. They became known as "Macaroon
Sisters."